


The Promise

by Melba



Category: Final Fantasy XIII, Final Fantasy XIII Series
Genre: F/F, Fang - Freeform, Vanille - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-05-03
Updated: 2014-07-31
Packaged: 2018-01-21 18:28:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,751
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1559897
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Melba/pseuds/Melba
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Fang and Vanille were just two ordinary girls living in their Village until one day they were branded as l'Cie. This event would forever change their lives, and their friendship.  </p>
<p>FangXVanille. Contains FF13 spoilers!</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Pre-Ragnarok

**Author's Note:**

> This is one of my most recent fanfics so I hope you enjoy it! It is also wise to maybe read up on what happened to Fang and Vanille before they ended up in Cocoon it can get a little complicated with all the mythology and gods just chilling in this fanfic. I have already posted this fic on fanfiction.net, but I refined the opening chapter a little more, and will try to do the same with the other chapters!

_When I awoke with Fang that day, neither of us could have predicted what would happen. But I never would have thought that together we would end up as the force that kept Cocoon itself alive. Despite my worries it seemed everything did turn out alright. Just like she promised…_

‘Cocoon…it really does stick out like a sore thumb doesn’t it, Fang?’ Vanille played with a curl in her rosy coloured pigtail and stared idly up at the sky. Lying on the sparse, rocky hillside she could see the whole village of Oerba; the small schoolhouse, the railway line and the pale wind turbines turning gently with the breeze. Against the quaint little town, Cocoon seemed like a malignant blot in the sky.

‘Humph, that stupid crusty ball. To think people actually live in there…do they even realise that there are people living outside of Cocoon?’ Fang replied with her arms crossed in her usual defiant manner, her beaded bracelets brushing her tribal, blue tunic. 

‘Listen.’ Vanille sat up suddenly ‘Do you think there really will be a war?' Her voice trailed off as she finished her sentence, as if to speak it would make it more likely to happen. 'I mean yes – it seems silly that people live up there shrouded in bubble wrap thanks to the Fal’Cie, but I don’t get why we should bring it down. I mean, everyone’s happy aren’t they?’ Fang sighed and turned away.

‘No Vanille, they’re not’. She began to walk away.

‘What?! Hey! Fang don’t just walk away from me.’ The pink haired girl jumped up and jogged after her friend. Turning towards Vanille, the bronze-skinned women looked into her eyes,

‘Listen. Things are going to change around here whether you like it or not. You’ve got to keep up, okay?’ her brow furrowed as her friend simply stared back with that innocent ignorance in her soft green eyes. 

‘Alright, alright. I get it ok’, the small girl squirmed and sighed as she broke free of Fang’s penetrating glare and began to walk towards the village.

 

 

When they reached Oerba, the fleshy rose pink of dusk was blushing across the sky. Only a few stars twinkled in the oncoming ominous shadow of night. Despite its beauty however, Vanille still couldn’t get off her mind what Fang had said earlier. _Why should things change?_ It was no use asking herself this though. This dark thought had been ever-growing on her conscience since the villagers on Pulse began speculating about the war. _War, war, war._ It wasn’t even the villagers that seemed to want it. No. It was someone else - a force that they could not disobey.

 

 

Shaking off this thought, Vanille rushed down to the beach. The sound of the waves as they calmly lapped the shore was enough to soothe the soul from any worry. As she stared out to sea Fang came to join her and sat down on the shore.

‘Hope…’ Vanille turned to Fang. ‘Hope. That’s what we can get from this; a tiny glimmer of hope’. Fang picked up a handful of ashen sand and watched the soft grains filter slowly through her sun-kissed fingers. ‘Cocoon may end as dust’, she let the last few grains blow away in the gentle breeze, ‘but we live on Pulse, and that’s what we fight for’.

The pink haired girl turned to her friend, trying to read her face. Even at a distance she could tell that Fang was serious about the whole war business.

‘Listen Fang,’ Vanille walked slowly to her friend’s side, ‘about that. Are you really going…to fight?’ The words trembled off of her rosy lips and her eyes were dewy with tears ready to fall. Fang's eyes quickly darted away to avoid the tearful eyes, looking down at the sand. For a while they waited in silence - simply listening to the steady sound of the waves as they rolled across the shore. 

‘You make it seem so bad Vanille’, she spoke finally, turning around with a sad expression. Fang couldn’t work out why her friend was so against the plan. Did she not want those on Pulse to survive?

‘I don’t know’. Sighing the pink haired girl sat down hugged her knees. Looking out the waves suddenly seemed dark and empty in the fading daylight. ‘I just get a bad feeling about it. That’s all’. She shrugged and lay on the sand, looking up at the sky. It was just about dark now and the grains of sand were cold to touch compared to the warmth radiating off of her friend’s body. It seemed to Vanille as if the land was dead, and that all the life had been sucked out of Oerba; as if Fang was the only real living thing there. They continued to sit in solemn silence as the gentle waves caressed the shore, both deep in thought. Upon realising how dark it was, Fang got up and headed for the steps.

‘Are you coming for dinner or what? I’m starving’. Vanille smiled. She remembered all of a sudden simple human pleasures such as food.

‘Of course, I couldn’t forget about food!’ _Yes food- maybe that’s it. Maybe I’m just hungry…and tired._ Still, she could not shake the feeling of apprehension that had gripped her. It had slowly been creeping up on her, and now it finally had its sharp talons around her. She feared she would not escape it.

 

 

Vanille spent that night wet with the cold sweat of fear. She couldn’t forget about the arriving war, and although she didn’t want to die it was rather the thought of killing so many innocent people that chilled her to the bone. The girl cried out in her sleep over and over again to the gods and goddesses, praying that they would stop the war.

She woke at the peak of her nightmares and realised from the creased bed sheets that she must have been tossing and turning violently in her sleep. When her sleepy brain registered that it was dawn her hearing also begun to pick up shouts in the distance.  _Why are people up at this time? What's going on..._ Not wanting to sleep Vanille quickly pulled on some clothes and hopped outside to inspect the commotion. 

 

 

‘No no! You _idiot_. I told you to put the flowers outside to temple…hmm so what?! Why are they down here then?!’ Vanille could see in the distance from her front door that there were several men moving objects around. Curious as to what they were doing she strolled over.

‘Umm…good morning village leader’, she tried to smile sweetly despite her fatigue.

‘Ah, Dia Vanille. Why are you up so early, did no one tell you about the celebration tomorrow? You’ll want all the rest you can get.’ The village leader was a short man, and he seemed to grow older every second; she swore several grey hairs appeared in the blink of an eye on his balding head. However, he was good at hunting the lobo that sometimes intruded on the village and killed the sheep, which –being the biggest threat to their comfy little village- meant that he was leader material.

‘I’m afraid I don’t know what you’re talking about, Sir’.

‘You don’t?’ he looked stupidly at her as if she was a ten year-old who didn’t know what a spoon was. ‘Blazin’ Barthandelus. I told everyone yesterday!’

‘I…went to bed early’, she mumbled quietly and shuffled her feet. Obviously she missed some announcement for a party or a feast.

‘We have news’, the village leader rubbed his hands eagerly and she could see his eyes were brimming with excitement, but not the kind of excitement before a party, but almost an excitement for something terrible. ‘The seeress from Paddra has had a most incredible vision - a vision from the gods!’ For a moment they both looked up to the sky. Far above the weak, rising sun splashed hues of crimson against the dormant ball in the sky. _Red sky in the morning…_

‘And…what did the vision show?’ Vanille didn’t want to ask. She knew what it was.

‘About the war! Oh Vanille! This is it; our time to destroy that stupid blot in the sky.’ He suddenly put his arm round her shoulder and swept his other across the sky as if it was erasing the spherical nest up there. She looked on unimpressed. ‘And the gods are on _our side._ Of course though…they need our help’, he cleared his throat, ‘The Fal’Cie Anima has asked for two servants from the village to be transformed into an almighty creature that will bring down Cocoon’.

‘What?!’ Vanille was startled. Yesterday there were speculations about war. Today it was finalised and now two sacrifices were needed. ‘D-d-don’t you think this is all a bit…sudden?’ The village leader was not happy at this. He tutted. 

‘It’s what the gods asked for.’ He picked up a box brimming with festival decorations; colourful ribbons, woven tapestries, small drums and plastic windmills bulging over the edge. ‘The village meets at the temple _tomorrow_ at dawn. Do not be late’. Vanille watched him waddle off into the distance with his box, her eyes widening with fear. 

‘Oh…no no no no no!’ She screamed. The girl had run down to the shore, and was now clutching the railing that skirted the beach. The waves continued their calm retreat away from the shore, rushing back with the endless cycle of the tide. Somewhere in the distance a train quietly glided into the station and left again. Then all was quiet; her screams stifled by the silence. It seemed as though no one would listen to her.

 

 

 


	2. The Argument

_They say the fal'Cie made the Arks in preparation for the battle against the menace that lurks beyond. Where is this 'beyond' of which they speak? Do they mean cocoon, and the demons that dwell within?- On the nature of Fal’Cie FFX13_

Vanille went back to bed after hearing what the village leader had said. All this talk about war seemed to be draining the life out of her. She gladly let her soft mattress and quilt swallow her up, spending several hours in blissful, dreamless sleep. Awaking late, she decided to dress quickly and wear a simple pink dress instead of her usual gear. Leaving the house, she stretched out in the midday sun, its heat radiated deep to her bones; warming up her muscle and soothing her aches and pains. Vanille decided then to go out for a short stroll along the beach, and as expected she found her best friend waiting on the shore. 

 

‘Fang!’ Vanille shouted and waved before running over.

‘Hey Vanille, you’re up late. Having a lazy day?’ her eyes quickly glanced at Vanille’s small form shrouded by the thin cotton dress, the sun shone through it revealing her delicate hour-glass figure. Unlike Fang, her friend was more of a people person; deciding to play with the local children or create the beaded jewelry the people of Oerba wore, and so her body and skin had no marks of hard labour and hours spent under the burning sun. Fang on the other hand was always outdoors, always fighting and never spent a moment staying still. Whilst Vanille’s years of gentle chores had left her with a slim body and soft-skinned hands, Fang on the other hand was well toned, dark-skinned and had rough hands from years fighting. The orange-haired girl shrugged her shoulders as she walked up to Fang.

‘Maybe I am having a lazy day…I’m just so tired, ya know?’

‘Ack, me too’, the dark woman turned to look into the sea whilst the waves gently tumbled together onto the shore,

‘Fang, what’s wrong?’ Vanille could instantly tell something was off, it wasn’t like her friend to worry about much and to lose sleep over something seemed ridiculous even for a no-nonsense girl like her. But she didn’t answer. ‘C,mon Fang, you know you can tell me anything’, Vanille beckoned Fang to confide in her, and she turned around, looking at her with a pained expression.

‘Listen Vanille, I’ve been thinking a lot recently about…about the war.' The smaller girl looked away and at the sand at the mention of war. The word set her heart in a frantic panic whenever it was let loose. 'And now all of a sudden Anima is going to choose two people to destroy Cocoon.’ Vanille’s eyelids fluttered silently towards the sea as she tried not to think about what Fang was saying. ‘Vanille…that’s a massive leg up. Before I thought we didn’t stand a chance, but now I know we can win.’ She took a step closer to the bright haired girl, but Vanille kept her eyes shut. ‘Listen, you can’t hide the truth, which is why I am going to fight in war’. Vanille knew this had been coming for a while, but it seemed too soon.

‘B-b-ut Fang, who’s going to take care of me and the village?’ She said with a small voice, looking up at the tall bronze-skinned woman, the sun reflecting off her smooth skin making it glow. _All I have ever needed stands in front of me, and now that’s going to go?!_ ‘You can’t go Fang! It’s dangerous!’ Vanille burst out and grabbed hold of Fang’s arm. Surprised, the tanned-girl took a step back.

‘It’s not like I’ve ever stayed out of danger. Why won’t you let me go?’

‘Because…’, _because you’re my friend? Because no matter what, you've always been there._ ‘I…I think it’s silly that everyone is jumping to the conclusion that we _need_ a war! Can’t we work this out without fighting?’. She looked pleadingly into Fang’s clear blue eyes.

‘Oh come on Vanille. Why do you think we need a village leader? Why do you think we’re trained to fight?’ Fang frowned down at the girl clutching her arm.

‘Well, we don’t have to stay in Oerba all the time. And Anima only protects the border…’

‘Ha! Protects? We need to fight because our so called _protector_ keeps failing. It lets the monsters in so we have to get rid of them ourselves, yet we still have to worship that fal’Cie.’ Vanille was stuck; Fang was completely right. She’d always protected her and that was one of the reasons why she felt so safe around her. But she shouldn’t have to be protecting her. What Fang said was true; the fal’Cie was not doing what it promised and yet they still revered it as an almighty being.

‘Maybe the fal’Cie grow old too. Maybe they break down just like us.’

‘Then this is my only chance to do something.’ Vanille bit down on her lip as it trembled. The sun had risen quite high in the sky now and it had brought about a humidity that seemed to choke her small lungs. She could feel her heart welling up whilst her chest constricted tightly around it like a deadly Boa. It was no use, Fang just kept coming back with a better answer each time.

‘Please Fang!’ She burst out and tightened her grip on her friend's arm, tears streaming down her face. ‘You can’t do this…you can’t leave me. It’s not fair!’ Her body racked with sobs as she buried her face into Fangs chest. Putting her arms around Vanille, Fang tried to comfort her. She looked down and gently kissed her soft, mandarin hair - lifting that delicate pointed chin upwards to face her.

‘Vanille, I’m not just doing this for Pulse. I’m doing this to protect you, I’m going to fulfill _my_ promise to you unlike Anima,’ she let go of Vanille, ‘and if I can’t protect you or Pulse, I might as well die in this war’. Wiping her tears Vanille took a step back and looked at Fang. She was serious about this. ‘And Vanille, I’m not about to just lie down and die. I’m going to do something – this is my last chance, okay?’ Her friend didn’t answer; she just stood there and watched Fang with rivers of tears flowing out of her eyes. It seemed they had washed her vision of any naivety or ignorance she had about the war and the truth crushed her heart like an iron weight. Sighing, Fang turned around and walked up the steps from the beach and back into the village with Vanille watching the blurred figure swim out of her watery sight as she tried to drown out her misery. But she couldn’t. She was about to lose her best friend. That foreboding feeling she had been experiencing was not fear of war, but rather –she realised now- the fear of losing Fang.

 

Vanille sat on the sandy shore hugging her knees and weeping, not caring whether on not her feet got wet and sandy. The girl welcomed the harsh, exfoliating sand as it stuck to her feet. She didn’t want Fang to fight because she might get injured, and she’d rather die than see Fang get hurt. It took a while for her to stop sobbing and shaking, by which time her face was a blotchy red mess. Not that it mattered; the only one she cared about had seen her cry many times and always comforted her. Fang never laughed at her puffy face whenever she had been crying, where as her other friends laughed at her, calling her 'chipmunk'. But where was Fang now? Vanille felt bad for letting her walk of, wishing she could run up to her and say that she accepted her idea. But it wasn’t that easy even though she was confident that Fang was a brilliant fighter. She’d always gone out hunting with the Yun clan and had taken Vanille as a young girl out on a few occasions trying to teach her to defend herself – something which she had to do more and more often as the fiends on Pulse encroached even more on Oerba. It was common knowledge that the Yun Clan were good hunters, and Fang was exceptionally good. Vanille herself had witnessed this, spending many days sitting on grassy banks sunbathing as she admired Fangs strong arms and fierce attacks.

_Maybe she’ll be okay?_

Then it hit her – Fang _might_ be okay, but she would _definitely_ be okay with Vanille by her side. Maybe it was her turn to defend Fang? At this thought she leapt up and began to run up the steps from the beach. The idea in her mind elevated her spirits, making her giddy as the wind breezed coolly through her clothes and hair. She was laughing. It’d been a long time since she had laughed in pure delight like this; and all because she had finally realized that she didn’t have to let go of Fang – she could stay right by her side, just like old times. But now it was her time to step up and take responsibility.

 

 A fisherman was strolling barefoot along the path towards the beach. Vanille slowed down to talk to him as she saw him come into view.

‘Good evening, sir!’ She chirped.

‘Vanille, hello!’ The fisherman smiled sending soft lines along his weathered face. He tipped his hat up to look at her. She’d talked to him briefly before as she often walked down the beach and he’d been there a few times preparing his small boat to go fishing. ‘How can I help you young miss?’

‘Well, I was wondering if you’d seen Yun Fang? She’s tall, dark skin, lovely ebony hair…’ Vanille flung her arm in the air to measure Fang’s height, trying to demonstrate as clearly as she could to the Fisherman who Fang was.

‘Ahh yes yes, I know. Yun Fang. Good with a pike! Hahaha’ he chucked as he remembered how Fang effortlessly threw her pike through two large fish once. ‘Well, can’t say I’ve seen her today’

‘Not at all?’ Vanille was disappointed, the Fisherman had a clear view of the bay and Fang had only left there half an hour ago. ‘Well, thanks anyways’. She walked off feeling slightly deflated now. It was hard to tell where her friend would be; she wouldn’t be hunting this late in the day but she wasn’t at the beach. Vanille decided to check all the obvious places first and hopefully Fang could be discovered at one of these. As she walked along Vanille thought about signing up alongside her friend to fight in the war.

‘Ah ha!’ She gasped out loud, ‘Fang must be signing up to join!’.

 

But as she ran along the path a thought suddenly stopped Vanille in her tracks; where was the place to sign up anyway? They hadn’t been told about it, all she knew is that they were choosing sacrifices for Anima tomorrow. Looking up at the sky it appeared as though night was crawling in – it brought no twinkling stars with it that night.

_Choosing sacrifices?!_ Panic spread all down her body like frost creeping down a window, its spiky spindles slithering down her spine. Hairs pricked up on the back of her neck. _She wouldn’t would she?_

But she would, and Vanille did not know yet however, Fang was already up at the brightly lit temple after dressing in the traditional hunting robes - awaiting the moment when Anima descended from the sky and picked an offering.

  

Vanille pushed this aside and tried searching elsewhere, but she wasn’t anywhere to be found; neither at the beach, her house nor the hillside. There was only one place she hadn’t checked yet – the temple.


	3. The vision

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hmm still wondering whether I should redoing the chapters and adding them here or leave this fanfic...I realise now how short these chapters are ugghh

* * *

 

_And lo, the viper Lindzei bore fangs into the pristine soil of our Gran Pulse; despoiled the land and from it crafted a cocoon both ghastly and unclean…Ye who honour Pulse: rise unto the heavens, and cast down the viper's nest!_ – Author Unknown FFXIII

 

The temple glowed in the dim light of dawn –the ceremonial fires were lit and their flames danced wild shadows across the clutter of flowers, decorations and temple paint. Although the temple had no walls - only pillars - the trinkets that surrounded it created a thick membrane encasing the people inside. To Vanille, it seemed as though everything seem to say _you're not welcome here_. She suddenly felt an intense feeling of fear, of worry and of nausea as she ascended the steps to the temple. She couldn't get a grip of her thoughts as they raced through her head; no matter how hard the girl tried, she knew that there was no way out of this situation.

 

Upon reaching the top the small girl began to look for her friend. Circling the outskirt of the crowd, she finally spotted Fang perched on a stone bollard near the temple stage, no doubt she wanted to be first to volunteer. The crowd was loud and buzzing with excitement, no matter how hard Vanille tried she could not raise her voice above the loud murmur of the eager audience to call out to Fang. And the people would not move either for the small, petite girl. Panic gripped her and beads of sweat began to develop on her forehead - it was too late to persuade her friend out of this. "Fang!" Vanille tried to call out louder this time, but still the her voice and attempts to push through were useless. She couldn't permeate the thick barrier of people.

 

There came a hush. Plasma green lights had started to descend from the sky, transfixing the villagers gaze as they stared up in awe. With its mechanical arms spread out it appeared as though it were an angel; or a crucifix ready for the next sacrifice. The metal and machinery groaned and scraped around its crystal core as the massive being settled its pointed torso onto the ground on the hillside beside the temple. There it balanced with its crystal centre –as large as the temple itself- glowing green and illuminating the stunned faces of the people. Vanille looked at their pale, ghostly faces in the sickly light of the crystal. The crowd were silent and wide eyed - standing paralysed by the aura that was radiating off of their ‘God’. Despite the fact that it was there everyday, protecting them from the vicious wildlife that lurked on Pulse, no one had ever come as close as this to the Fal’Cie Anima. Soon after shock and awe wore off, and now some woman had gained enough of their sense to faint, or grab onto their trembling husbands. In the crowd some small infants and babies started to cry with fear of the enormous being that had rested on the ground. Slowly and with building confidence the village leader slid through the crowd as it slowly edged backwards away from the god. He walked over to the edge of the temple - the crowd separating for him - where the being rested on the side of the hill outside.

 

The temple had been created with no walls; as if the centuries old architect had created the building with its purpose of being a celestial conference centre already concreted in his mind as he drew up the plans.

'We welcome you, O'mighty Protector Anima to our humble land'. The village leader bowed as he addressed the Deity, the rest of the villagers following his steps - their beaded and feathered bracelets and necklaces gently chiming as they lowered their foreheads to the ground. Silence now swept over the congregation as they all lowered their heads in respect. Vanille remained standing behind the pillar, peaking out at the glowing creature. The Fal'Cie did not answer.

'Um...uh...we have...gathered here today, Anima, to offer you two most magnificent warriors.'

'Very good humans', Anima began to speak almost cutting the village leader off, 'I am aware of your offer'. The crowd felt its almighty, booming, hollow voice sweep over their backs and were glad that the fal'Cie could not see their frightful faces bowed into the dirty stone floor.

'Yes, yes. Umm...well we haven't exactly had many volunteers. But we have had...one.' The village leader looked around, and then motioned for the volunteer to step forward. Slowly and calmly with an effortless confidence, Fang stood up and slinked towards the Fal'Cie. She looked up towards Anima before bowing again and addressing the being.

'O'mighty Anima, it would be an honour to serve you in this war'.

'Fang, No!' A cry came out from amongst the crowd. A hushed murmur picked up as a petite girl pushed her way to the front. Vanille stepped out in front of the audience, Fang, and the God. 'Fang please, don't do this!' The desperation and pain in her eyes was heart-breaking for Fang to see. People in the crowd murmured louder now and the flustered and greatly embarrassed village leader had to silence them.

'Vanille...I-' The tanned woman began but was cut off prematurely.

'Oerba Dia Vanille. It is good to see you came to the meeting'. The audience became silent as the Fal'Cie addressed the girl who dared to cause a commotion in the presence of their Protector. Vanille looked up at Anima. Standing close to the being, its glowing green crystal was almost blinding in the in the darkness as the rising sun only just began to splash red over the hills. 'Yes. Dia Vanille. It is important that you are here. You see, my people, I am not here to ask you for two volunteers'.

_What? No volunteer. Can this be true?_

'No, I am actually here to _demand_ two sacrifices'. The villagers remained silent, but their hearts pounded loudly in their chests. Yet they all knew deep down that this was coming. 'Of which I have already chosen'.

 

As the fal'Cie said this, Fang and Vanille dropped to the ground, their heads held in agony. The crowd looked on in shock as the pair's shaking bodies crumbled onto the stone floor of them temple. Their brains felt as though on fire as they struggled through the painful vision of their task; a whisper of the two girls transforming, a flicker of the beast they will become, and an explicit view of Cocoon being smashed to pieces; people and homes burning and falling to the ground slowly like the ashes they will become. Then both their visions eased into glorious pain-releasing darkness as quickly as they had come.


End file.
